


Connection

by Evilsforreals



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Musicals, One Shot, Theatre
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-18
Updated: 2014-04-18
Packaged: 2018-01-19 20:20:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1482628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evilsforreals/pseuds/Evilsforreals
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>An art trade with the snazzy apollosshine! Beruere one-shot! Hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote>





	Connection

_YEAH YOU’RE FUCKED ALLRIGHT AND ALL FOR SPITE-_

With a plaintive groan, Eren feebly smacked his phone again, cutting off the Spring Awakening song right on the chorus. The sound of angst-driven teenagers was gone for the third time that morning; once again filling the room with silence, save for the soft breathing of his roommate Armin. Eren blinked several times, squinting angrily at his phone screen. 7:45.

“Goddamn,” Eren muttered, slowly rising from his tangled covers. It was his own fault for taking an 8:00am class first semester of college, but that didn’t stop him from grumbling and complaining. He quickly stumbled over to his dresser, pulling his shirt off and tossing it aimlessly towards the corner of the room. He grabbed a faded red T-shirt and pulled it over his head, while scanning the room for his jeans.

He finally spotted them, at the foot of Armin’s bed. He shuffled towards Armin’s side of the room, suppressing a yawn-

**_YEAH YOU’RE FUCKED ALLRIGHT-_ **

Eren jerked in surprise; he thought he had turned off the alarm function. He lunged towards the nightstand, fumbling with the phone, as the ultimate anthem of teenage repression and angst continued to blare throughout the room. “Shut-the-fuck-up!” Eren breathed, finally managing to disable the alarm, silencing the song.

“Uuugggh,” came an agonized groan from the adjacent bed. Eren cringed in embarrassment, as Armin slowly pulled himself up from his pillow, his usual clean cut blonde hair a tangled mess. “Wha-what time _is_ it?” He muttered; his words slurred from sleep.

“7:50,” Eren whispered apologetically, slipping his jeans on and lacing up his sneakers. “I’ve got an early class, and my phone kept buzzing, sorry!”

“It’sssallright,” Armin slurred; his head gently drooping to rest on his elbow. He breathed a small sigh as his eyes slowly shut. Eren stared at him for moment before he realized that he had fallen asleep again. He stifled a laugh as he picked up his backpack and key, and quietly exited the room, gently shutting the door behind him.

Eren set off from his dorm at a brisk pace. The sun was just starting to rise, casting a soft golden light across the campus. A soft breeze ruffled his hair as he passed the end of his dorm, and began climbing a flight of stairs. There weren’t many people out this early, but as he reached the top of the stairs, he made out his sister on the football field. He smiled to himself. Some things never changed. Ever since they were little, Mikasa always got up early to work out, be it running or going to the gym.  And here she was, first day of college, and she was already at it. She was setting a good pace for herself, moving swiftly around the track, her signature crimson scarf flapping in the breeze.

He raised his hand to wave, but halted as a painful gurgling erupted from his stomach. Eren glanced down, casting a look of disapproval at his aching belly. He was going to be late to class at this rate, and the cafeteria didn’t even open until 8:30 and-

He winced as his stomach made another plaintive groan. Eren took off at a brisk pace, his backpack bouncing slightly with each step. If he ran, he could snag something from the coffee shop on the way to class. He rushed down another flight of stairs, skipping every other step on his way down.

He rounded the corner, and spotted the familiar Starbucks insignia. The sight of it gave him a burst of extra speed, and he sprinted the last stretch, across the street, and through the doors. There was amazingly enough, no line, just a smattering of people at tables enjoying their beverages. He quickly walked up to the counter, where a large blonde-haired man was seemingly dozing against the register. “Hi can I get a-“

He paused, as the man inhaled deeply through the nose. Eren could actually hear the breath, and felt slightly uncomfortable. Suddenly, his eyes popped open and he grinned. “-Large iced coffee with no room, no sweetener?”

“…Yeah…how’d you _know_ that?”

“Oh that’s Mike’s gift,” a woman with heavyset glasses and brown hair pulled back in a ponytail said from the other side of the counter, as she set about preparing Eren’s drink. She had an excited jolly tone to her voice. “He can tell what people want by smell.”

Eren smiled in admiration, as he passed over cash for the drink. The woman handed him his drink, which was already beginning to gather condensation on the edges. Eren took his change, and dropped it into the tip jar and headed for the door. He turned to wave goodbye, when he heard the door open.

**_CRACK_ **

Eren found himself sprawled on the café floor with a painful twinge in the middle of his forehead. He rubbed his head gingerly as he turned to see his drink splattered over the floor; the remnants of it dripping from the lid of his beverage.

“Oh God, I’m sorry!”

Eren looked up. And then continued looking up, until he finally found the source of the apology. An uncommonly tall boy with soft black hair was barring the doorway, still clutching the doorknob in his hands. His face was bright red and shiny with perspiration. He dropped to his knees, and offered Eren a tentative hand. “Are you all right?”

Eren grabbed his hand, and grunted as he felt himself pulled up to a standing position. He wiped his hands on the back of his jeans. The woman behind the counter was already mopping up the spilled coffee. “It happens honey; we can get you another right away!”

“No time! Sorry for the mess, I’m going to be late for my acting class!” Eren shouted. He awkwardly squeezed past the taller boy, and took off. _Ugh no food until after class I suppose_ , Eren thought miserably.

 

* * *

 

Eren flung himself into the theater building just as the class doors opened, and a small group of similarly exhausted looking people began filing into the room. Eren grabbed a quick mouthful of water from the nearby fountain, before following the others into the class, clutching his stomach. The room was large and accommodating, with a raised dais in the center, surrounded by an assortment of chairs. There was also a bedraggled looking piano propped up on the side of the stage. Eren dropped into one of the chairs reluctantly, as the class continued to file in. He saw several people with similar drinks in hand, and felt another pang of longing.

“All right, settle down, settle down,” a voice rasped from the opposite side of the room. Eren turned to crane his head, until he could see an old man making his way across the stage. He looked exhausted and pitiful, with deep pockets under his eyes and an appalling yellowish tinge to his skin. The man continued to slowly shuffle his way across the room, coughing and wheezing. The rest of the class had now noticed him and were surveying him with worried expressions.

Right as he passed the dais, the man dissolved into a brutal coughing fit. He took a swig from a hip flask, but to no avail. As he continued to gasp and huff, he tipped off balance. In less than a second, he lost his footing, flailing for a moment with his arms pumping like windmills, before he hit the edge of the raised platform with a resounding _crack._

Several girls in the group shrieked in horror, and Eren stumbled over himself in an effort to reach the man. Two other students rushed to assist Eren, as he tentatively examined the twitching man.

“What do we do?” one of the other students yelled in fright from the corner.

“I’m calling an ambulance-“said a small blonde girl next to Eren. She dipped her hand into her pocket and snatched her phone. She was lifting it to dial the number, when a hand deftly caught her wrist. She looked up in surprise, to see the old man grinning at her. With a squeal, she tore her hand away from him, and fell backwards onto the floor.

“Welcome…to ACTING 101!” the old man crowed, jumping to his feet, and cutting an elegant bow to the shocked students. There was absolute silence for a few moments, as he bowed again. Little by little, it became clear to the students what had just occurred, and began to clap. The old man bowed a third time, and then swung himself up onto the dais. Eren and the other two students slowly returned to their seats, shaking from the adrenaline rush.

“I am your Acting Professor, Dot Pixis! Rule number 1; don’t call me Dot. Believe me, it’s been done, and it’s not pretty. Second, we’ll start every morning with a warm-up exercise, so wear things you’ll be comfortable with! All right enough gabbling, I want everyone to come up to the dais one by one, and give us your name! Starting with…you over there!”

He pointed at the blonde girl directly opposite from Eren’s seat that had tried to call an ambulance. She blushed slightly, but quickly walked to the stage, and pulled herself up.

“H-hello, I’m Historia!”

“Lovely name, let’s give her a hand!” Pixis bellowed in approval, and the class joined in to applaud the diminutive girl, who hastily curtsied, and descended from the dais. “Let’s go around, don’t be shy!”

One by one, the boys and girls shuffled down to introduce themselves; some more exuberantly then others, while the rest of the class clapped half-heartedly.

“Hi, I’m Jean.”

“Ymir.”

“Morning! I’m Sasha!”

Finally it was Eren’s turn. He slowly made his way up to the platform, and hopped up on it. “Hey all, I’m Eren-“

A loud thump from the doorway interrupted Eren, and he and the rest of the class turned to see the cause of the noise. There was a moment of awkward shuffling, before an extremely familiar red face emerged from the doorway, clutching two large iced coffees in his sweating palms.

“Aha! Running a bit late Mr…” Pixis trailed off as he checked his clipboard.

“Uh, Bertholdt sir. I’m sorry for being late.”

“It’s allright m’boy! Although you did miss a spectacular bout of acting from yours truly. But we’ll get to that later, have a seat!” He gestured at the empty chair right next to Eren’s backpack. “Mr. Jaeger continue if you please!”

Eren was still watching Bertholdt slowly make his way through the throng of classmates, the two drinks tipping precariously as he swung past Sasha. _Why would he need two-_ Bertholdt was almost to the seat when Eren realized everyone else had been watching him expectantly, and he was merely staring at the tall boy in the corner.

“Oh yeah, I’m…Eren,” he said lamely, feeling his cheeks flushing. He quickly exited the stage, and took his seat next to Bertholdt. He gazed distractedly at the stage, not registering anything as another student introduced themselves, not even noticing the cup of iced coffee being gently pressed into his shoulder.

It took a few moments before he felt the condensation, and finally turned around, to see Bertholdt, face still flushed, with an outstretched coffee. Eren stared at the dark liquid swirling around the cup. “Is that…for me?” He asked quizzically.

Bertholdt nodded, looking embarrassed. “You said you were late to an acting class, so I assumed we were going to the same one, and Hanji at the café made another one and sent me with it-if-if you want it.” He trailed off, still awkwardly extending the beverage toward Eren.

“Oh thank God,” Eren sighed, accepting the drink and taking a long drag from it. It was a tad bitter, but exactly what he needed. Almost immediately, his hunger pains began to numb, as he took another deep gulp. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

“Ah, don’t mention it.”

Bertholdt smiled for the first time as he said it. The corners of his mouth lightly crinkled upwards, and Eren couldn’t help but notice a single dimple that slowly appeared on his right cheek. Eren thought vaguely for a moment that the dimple looked a little like a tiny little black bean, before shaking his head, in an attempt to focus.

“Well now that we’re all introduced,” Pixis’s voice resounded over their heads, causing Eren to jerk his head back toward the professor. “Why don’t we get started with a little warm up game I like to call ‘Bus Stop!’ Everyone on your feet and get into line!”

Eren was halfway to the forming line when he realized he still had the iced coffee clutched in his hand. He took another quick sip, before gently placing it on the floor next to his chair. He hurried back to the line, to see Bertholdt at the very end. He quickly took his place right behind him, as Pixis began talking.

“In Bus stop, the first person sits on the dais as if they’re a normal person waiting for the bus to come. Person number two; your job is to make them leave!”

“What do you mean?” Historia asked from the head of the line.

Pixis chuckled. “It can be anything! Make them laugh and break character, make them uncomfortable by acting strangely! Although I will say that suggestive touching is not allowed! Sorry kids, can’t have you getting written up on your first day! Historia, take your seat, and we can begin!”

“Sir what happens when they leave? Do we take their place?” Eren asked, poking his head out from behind Bertholdt’s frame.

“Once you’ve made someone move, you adopt an attitude of someone just waiting for the bus. Whatever you did to make them move doesn’t translate over. All right, let’s get started!”

Historia took a seat on the edge of the platform, and pretended to look off into the distance, as if thinking. The girl named Ymir strolled up, and plopped down next to her. “Hey,” she said in an elaborately seductive tone.

Historia’s cheeks slightly reddened, but she offered a warm smile. “Good morning!”

Ymir stared at her, taken aback by her greeting, her face suddenly flushing even redder than Historia. “I-I can’t do this, I’m out,” she muttered, shuffling her way to the back of the line with her head buried in her hands. Historia looked confused, but a small smile was playing on her lips. Pixis merely laughed.

After the initial hiccup, the game seemed to progress smoothly. Historia burst into giggles at Sasha’s interpretation of a rabid Chihuahua, and gave up her spot. Sasha was kicked out almost immediately, when Jean burped into her face, and she dissolved into a mixture of giggles and retching. Jean resisted several students for a while, until it was Bertholdt’s turn. The tall boy took a few steps until he was towering over Jean’s head. He stood there for a moment, staring at the smaller boy, before reaching down and gently lifting him up off of the platform. Jean’s mouth dropped open in surprise, but Bertholdt ignored him, and resolutely carried him along, before setting him down at the back of the line. He then shuffled up and took his seat, blushing as the class broke into applause.

“I say, a most efficient method Mr. Fubar!” Pixis rowed with delight. “Continue!”

It was Eren’s turn. He looked up, and saw sweat dripping off the bridge of Bertholdt’s nose. He scrunched his own nose in contemplation as he took a step forward. How was he going to take down the giant?

“Whazzup,” Eren slurred, dropping down next to Bertholdt, and shooting him what was either a gang sign, or a quick display of two hands undergoing a seizure. Bertholdt’s eyebrows began to slowly but surely climb up his forehead in incredulity. Eren began to silently panic. He could feel the stares from the professor and the students. All eyes were on him.

“How-How’s the weather up there….buddy?” He said in a hurried rush. He immediately clapped a mental hand over his mouth. _Of all the stupid-_ He could hear the snickers from the other students in the background, Jean especially. Bertholdt’s mouth had the faintest hint of a quiver, but still deadpanned a stubborn stare back at Eren.

_Something to make him uncomfortable. I could kiss hi-WHAT THE FUCK BRAIN_ Eren was now mentally berating his head, hoping that no one had recently developed latent psychic abilities. He stared desperately at Bertholdt, trying to imagine what might scare this gentle giant-

And then it hit him. Or something did. An idea really. But it was definitely something, as opposed to his current blank-slate brain. Eren flashed a beaming smile at Bertholdt, and began to inhale deeply. At the same time, he willed his throat to open, and after a momentary pause, something akin to a death rattle echoed through the room. He tipped his head sideways, widened his eyes, and leaned in until he was inches from Bertholdt’s face

_HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHEHHHHHHHIIIIGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHEHH_

“JESUS!” Bertholdt screamed in a voice that certainly didn’t befit his stature. He shoved himself away from Eren, toppling off of the edge of the platform, and crashing onto his back. The class erupted in cheers and laughter at the spectacle.

Eren halted his death rattle, trying to stop himself from laughing, at the sight of Bertholdt in a tangle mess of limbs. Pixis was attempting to calm down the rest of the class. Eren hopped down, and extended a hand in a similar fashion to the incident that happened in the coffee shop. Bertholdt looked up, and paused in surprise. After a moment, he reached out and grasped Eren’s hand. Eren gave a heave, and the tall boy rose to his feet. Eren stumbled a bit, and Bertholdt reached out a hand to steady him.

The two boys stared at one another, suddenly exceedingly aware of their hands still clutching one another. Bertholdt’s palm was sweaty. Smooth and sweaty- _what? Why are you thinking that?_

“Well I think that’s enough warm-up excitement for today,” Pixis said cheerfully. Bertholdt and Eren took this opportunity to quickly let go of each other’s hands, and slowly made their way back to their seats, avoiding eye contact at all costs. “Let’s begin with a look at the early European stylings of…

 

* * *

 

“And that will be all for today, see you on Wednesday!” Pixis said cheerfully as the class began to pack up their belongings. Pixis took another swig from his flask, and waved cheerfully to the students as he swept from the room, the majority of the students following him.

 Eren stretched his legs wearily, and felt a bump as he hit the now-empty iced coffee cup. It tipped over with a soft clunk. He stooped down to get it, but paused as he heard Bertholdt singing softly under his breath. His back was turned away from Eren, but he could hear the clarity and emotion in the tone of his singing, as he continued stuffing his notebook into his backpack. _“Totally fucked, will they mess you up, well you know they’re gonna-“_

Eren’s head shot up from the ground, the coffee cup forgotten. “Are you singing Spring Awakening?”

Bertholdt spun around, clutching the notebook in his hands. “Oh, I…thought you had left already,” he stammered, his face reddening again.

The two stared at one another, not sure how to proceed. Bertholdt shuffled his feet awkwardly. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have been-“

Eren quickly backpedaled to stop the unnecessary apology. “No-no, it’s fine, you actually sounded really good!” It was Eren’s turn to feel his face growing hot. “I-It’s just that Totally Fucked is my alarm clock ringer! Lemme…just a sec,” he muttered as he dug down in his pockets to retrieve his phone, anxious to change the topic. He quickly called up the screen, and hit the alarm button. Totally Fucked’s chorus immediately rang throughout the now almost-empty room.

**_YEAH YOU’RE FUCKED ALL RIGHT AND ALL FOR SPITE_ **

“You can kiss your sorry ass goodbye,” Bertholdt half-hummed half-sang the lyrics under his breath, eyes on Eren, a small smile playing on his lips. Eren smiled warmly in return, his head bobbing to the beat of the song.

“Totally fucked will they mess you up,” Eren continued gesturing to Bertholdt to join.

“WELL YOU KNOW THEY’RE GONNA TRY!!!!” Bertholdt joined Eren, and the two finished the chorus, jumping into the final part of the song. “BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH-„

Eren and Bertholdt were suddenly both transformed, acting out the parts perfectly, as they leapt and jumped around the room screaming BLAH as loud as they could. The sweaty nervous giant and the small uptight bed-head no longer existed in the figurative sense. Now they were angst, they were pent up emotion, exactly what the song demanded. Now, Melchior Gabor was screaming his angst into the microphone as he was carted off the stage. Moritz Stiefel was giving the last painful moments of his life. They were gone but they remained; flesh canvases assimilating a fresh coat of paint.

As the final notes faded into the corners of the room, Eren and Bertholdt came to a sudden halt. Both boys were panting from the exertion of the song’s physical demand. Eren shot a quick glance to his left, to see Bertholdt staring back at him. The two looked at each other for several seconds, before bursting into laughter.

It’s a rare thing for two people to suddenly find such a strong connection in one another. But when it happens, you can’t stop it from happening. Their laughter continued for several minutes; Bertholdt’s low rumbling laugh, and Eren’s sharp piercing laugh. Finally, they began to compose themselves, only letting out occasional giggles as they began to renew the process of packing up their belongings. Eren chuckled as he wiped sweat off his brow, and placed his phone back in his pocket. Bertholdt followed suit; dabbing his sleeve against his forehead.

“So, what other musicals do you like?” Eren abruptly asked, tentatively breaking the silence of the room.

Bertholdt looked pleased at the question, and quickly adopted a contemplative look as he continued mopping his head. “I love Pippin,” he said wistfully after a beat. “And Matilda, and Sweeney Todd. What about you?”

“Rent, and Godspell-oh! And Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat!” Eren chimed in excitedly.

“I love _Any Dream Will Do_ from that show _!_ ” Bertholdt exclaimed.

“Yeah, and then theres-“

“Dogfight!” The two of them said at the same time. They grinned again. Eren was about to ask another question when a painfully familiar gurgle echoed from his stomach. Bertholdt stared at him, his eyes wide in awe.

“Was…was that you?” he asked in a hushed voice

Eren grimaced. “Yeah, I didn’t have time for breakfast, hence the coffee-“

“You need to get something to eat. D-Do you wanna get lunch together?”

Bertholdt smiled warmly, his eyes wide and excited. Eren couldn’t help but grin at Bertholdt’s enthusiasm. After a moment, he nodded his head vigorously. “Sounds good to me, where you wanna go?”

“Wherever, as long as it’s nearby.”

Eren tapped his chin thoughtfully. “There’s a Chipotle around the corner-“

Bertholdt clapped Eren on the back. “Done! Let’s do it!”

The two boys exited the classroom, and made their way down the hall, continuing to share favorite plays, musicals, and songs, like old buddies reuniting after a long time apart. _Maybe morning classes won’t be so bad_ Eren thought happily to himself.

 

**Author's Note:**

> An art trade with the snazzy apollosshine! Beruere one-shot! Hope you enjoy!


End file.
